AIDS is an extraordinary type of crisis. To stand any chance of effectively responding to the epidemic we have to treat it as both emergency and a long-term development issue. This means resisting the temptation to accept the inevitability of AIDS as just another of the world's many problems. The 4th African Conference on Social Aspects of Research will bring together stakeholders interested in the Social Aspects of HIV / AIDS Research in Africa. The conference is expected to be all-embracing of all institutions, networks and alliances.

The article explores the relationship between social support and health behaviour of rural and urban women who are living with HIV in South Africa. Our study was a descriptive survey of a group of pregnant and non-pregnant women living with HIV. The sample size was 262 women, 165 from urban area and 97 from rural area. Data were collected using 3 instruments, namely a demographic questionnaire, the health behaviour schedule and the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey. Significant findings indicate that in the urban area 71% of women had disclosed their HIV status to someone, while in the rural area 49% had done so.A total of 77% of the women indicated that they were sexually active - 21% had 2 partners and 20% indicated that they had at least one episode of a sexually transmitted disease since finding out their HIV status. A total of 16% said that they currently received counselling, which was significantly more frequent in the rural sample (27%) than the urban (11%). The membership of support groups is at 12% among the participating women, and social support as well as membership of a support group was higher in the rural group than the urban group. Good social support showed an association with condom use, support group attendance and taking vitamins. However, receiving counselling as well as membership of a support group showed stronger association with positive health behaviour than social support on its own. The higher social support was not associated with increased disclosure.

This study sets out to establish and explain the empirical link between HIV / AIDS and poverty using data collected by the 1998 South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS). Analysis is restricted to women of reproductive age (15 - 49 years). The results indicate an increased risk of HIV infection among the poor, due to poverty-related characteristics of low education and low knowledge of the means of avoiding HIV infection, as opposed to the non-poor. Moreover, the poor and the less educated were found to be more likely not to use condoms than the non-poor. The results do not, however, provide the reasons for these relations and as such further research is required. One possible explanation was financial dependence on their partners, as it was found that women who received money from their partners, as well as those who came from households where hunger was a common phenomenon, were more likely not to use condoms because their partners disliked condoms, than those who did not receive money from their partners. The results also hinted at the intricacy of the poverty-HIV / AIDS relationship, so that it was not only low socio-economic status that increased susceptibility to HIV infection but also high socio-economic status.

This study addresses the socio-economic impact of AIDS on rural livelihoods in Benue State, Nigeria, where HIV prevalence is 9.3% but the number of AIDS cases is still relatively low. About 6% of the study households had experienced illness and death classified as AIDS, and reported high costs in terms of expenditures and time spent on care, funerals and mourning. These demands on time affected income and productivity, while the diversion of resources had implications for investments and savings. Coping strategies varied between households, mainly as a reflection of asset levels, which were often related to the gender of the household head. Reported coping strategies also differed between ethnic groups. First-line relatives were the most important source of support for households under pressure. Erosive coping strategies that undermined the sustainability of livelihoods were used by more vulnerable households following multiple cases of illness and death. Mourning practices, rules of inheritance and stigma tended to increase a household's vulnerability. Currently, Benue State is facing growing adult morbidity and mortality because of HIV infections. A context-specific study of its possible impact in a setting with a still relatively low number of AIDS cases is therefore important for informing local policy development and for building advocacy.

HIV and AIDS incidence among infants in South Africa is on the increase. The uptake of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) interventions is often said to be dependent on the beliefs and educational needs of those requiring PMTCT services. This study therefore sought to examine the effect of clinic-based health education interventions (HEI) on behavioural intention of PMTCT among 300 pregnant women from 4 primary health care clinics in Tshilidzini Hospital catchments area, South Africa. An interview schedule was used to obtain information regarding participants' demographic characteristics, level of exposure to clinic-based HEI, salient beliefs and behavioural intention on PMTCT. The major findings included that approximately 85% of the participants had heard of PMTCT. There was very little association between frequency of antenatal clinic (ANC) visits and level of exposure to PMTCT information. Condom use had the lowest set of salient belief scores. Control belief was the most common belief contributing to behavioural intention. Generally, the association between PMTCT salient beliefs and behavioural intention was weak. Clinic-based HEI had an impact on behavioural intention of HIV testing, normative belief of regular ANC visit and nevirapine use. The vital contribution of alternative PMTCT information sources such as the radio and television was observed. Enhancing initiatives that empower women, and a better coordination of the existing HEI through better implementation of health education strategy may strengthen the prevailing moderate PMTCT intention in the area investigated.

Based on ethnographic material from northern and central Namibia, this article provides insight into the views and experiences of primarily unemployed and poor men, and the dilemmas with which they are confronted due to lack of life opportunities. For these men, poverty and lack of agency may lead to loss of meaning and identity. The article brings men's experiences into context by exploring the socio-economic and historical transitions which in powerful ways contribute to shaping men's lives. It argues that HIV / AIDS is but one of many pressing concerns, and therefore information campaigns to promote safe sexual practices have limited meaning and impact. It further argues that men, like women, but in different ways than women, are vulnerable to HIV / AIDS. To counter this situation, it is crucial that HIV / AIDS prevention efforts work with men specifically. If prevention programmes are to have any relevance and impact, they should take their starting point in men's experiences of social exclusion and existential doubt.

Moving Mountains, the Race to Treat Global AIDS provides a lucid account of global efforts to scale up treatment for HIV / AIDS. As shown in the book, these efforts confront a number of critical challenges at a political, social, cultural and economic level. The book attempts to provide accounts of these challenges by looking at progress made in nine countries.